Men's soccer prepares for tournament in Japan

By Joe Doss-Antoun

Their season may have ended in late November, but the members of the men's soccer team have been busier than ever.

While players like Stephen McCarthy are competing with the U.S. U-18 national team, and others are embarking on their own endeavors, next year's team continues their offseason practice schedule in preparation for both next fall and a tournament in Japan, which will be held during spring break.

Once every four years during the offseason, the Broncos travel to a foreign country to compete in a tournament. In 2003, the team traveled to England, where they won all of their matches.

"This year we chose to go to Japan because we feel as though the competition there is growing, and it will be a challenging experience for our team," said Head Coach Cameron Rast.

Therefore, not only does the team have motivation to prepare for next season, but they also have the added incentive of knowing that they will be participating in a highly competitive tournament.

"We know there will be some good teams in the tournament, so we're really trying to gear up as a team for that," said junior midfielder Matt Hatzke.

It's not only the thought of the tournament in Japan that gets the team motivated to practice during the offseason, but also lingering thoughts of the way last season ended and aspirations for the way next season can turn out.

Currently, the men's team practices five days a week for an hour and a half each session. Due to NCAA rules, teams are restricted to only eight hours a week of practice during the offseason, of which only two hours can be used practicing with the ball, while the other six hours are spent on conditioning.

"I actually don't mind the running," said forward Sean Danzeiser. "Conditioning isn't one of my strong points, so it helps a lot."

Though the rule seems limiting to the players' progress, it has been adjusted this past year to provide more time for players to practice with the ball as a whole team. Prior to this year, the rule stated that the two hours spent with the ball during practice must be in groups of no more than four players.

When they do practice with the ball, however, the team makes sure to work on their weak spots. This offseason, the focus has been on the one-on-one game.

"Right now, we are spending an enormous amount of time on individual attacking," said Rast.

One drill that the team has been emphasizing is known as 'flying changes.' In this drill, the team is broken up into two, each having their own goal and goalie. The object of the drill is for one player to take on one opponent and try to attack the net. If he scores, his team gets a point. If he misses, the defender has a chance to take the ball himself and score against the other team's goalie. The object of the drill: If your team wins, you don't have to run at the end of practice.

While it may be practice, the men's team manages to enjoy themselves through friendly competition.

"I always like to work on my game and be around the guys," said Hatzke. "And we all are here for the same thing, to get ready for next season and hopefully get to the Final Four."

Contact Joe Doss-Antoun at (408) 551-1918 or jdossantoun@scu.edu.